Daily News Highlights – October 13, 2015 Edition

Jejomar Binay and Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan filed Monday morning their certificates of candidacy for president and vice president, respectively, making them the first national tandem to register with the Commission on Elections. Honasan told reporters Monday that his daughter’s consent made him say yes. Binay and Honasan both signed the “integrity pledge” at the Comelec for clean and honest elections. The tandem is hounded by corruption allegations -Binay for allegedly pocketing Makati city hall funds and Honasan for reportedly misusing pork barrel funds.

Read more on Binay, Honasan filing of candidacy.

The Liberal Party finally announced its complete senate slate Monday, the first day of the filing of certificate of candidacies. Called the Daang Matuwid coalition, the slate is a mix of party members and personalities who clashed against each other in the past. The 12 senatorial candidates include Senate President Franklin Drilon, Senate President pro-tempore Ralph Recto, Senator Teofisto Guingona III, former senator and former food security czar Francis Pangilinan, former senator and former Yolanda rehabilitation chief Panfilo Lacson, outgoing Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, former Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, outgoing TESDA Director General Secretary Joel Villanueva, TIEZA Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid, PhilHealth Director and former Akbayan Representative Risa Hontiveros, COOP NATCCO Party List Representative Cresente Paez, and DILG Assistant Secretary for Muslim Affairs and Special Concerns and former Maguindanao officer-in-charge Nariman Ambolodto.

Read more on Liberal Party senatorial slate.

Ending weeks of speculation, Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte says he will not run for president in the 2016 elections. Duterte announced this during a press conference in Davao City on Monday afternoon, October 12. This is the second time he called the media to confirm he is not seeking the presidency. It comes weeks after telling supporters that he would do “soul-searching” in order to come up with a final decision on his 2016 plans. But former North Cotabato Governor Manny Piñol said Duterte was given two prepared statements. The one that he didn’t read would have been an 11-page acceptance speech had he decided to run.

Read more on Duterte’s decision.

A mix of public names and private individuals filed their certificates of candidacy on Monday at the Commission on Elections office in Manila. From familiar political figures such as former senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson to the Binay-Honasan tandem, some of those running for national office include vice-presidential candidate Rizalito David, the person who filed a disqualification case against Senator Grace Poe, senatorial aspirant Daniel Magtira who sang for President Benigno Aquino III’s youngest sister Kris, and twice-disqualified presidential candidate Ely Pamatong. 

Read more on the first day of filing of candidacy.

The Office of the Ombudsman on Monday said it found probable cause to indict Vice President Jejomar Binay, his son dismissed Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr, and 22 others over alleged anomalies in the construction of the Makati carpark building project. Criminal charges will be filed against the Binays and their co-respondents for graft, malversation of public funds, and falsification of public documents in connection with the bidding and construction of the Makati City Hall Building II. The decision of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales comes on the same day the elder Binay filed his certificate of candidacy for his 2016 presidential bid and 3 days after Morales ordered the dismissal of the younger Binay from office. Binay’s camp questions timing of the Ombudsman’s decision and pointed out that as a sitting vice president, the elder Binay cannot be charged while in office.

Read more on the Ombudsman’s decision on the Binays.

Around 400 of the world’s top business leaders – including Pacific Century Group’s Richard Li and Facebook’s Eduardo Saverin – are in town for the 15th Forbes Global CEO Conference, which is focused on visionary leadership. This year’s conference focuses on “how leaders conceive and articulate vivid visions that capture the imagination of their teams, inspire confidence among investors, and win the hearts and minds of consumers.” This is the first time that Forbes Global CEO Conference is being held in Manila. The largest CEO conference has been held in various cities including Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Shanghai, and Bali.

Read more on the Forbes Global CEO conference.

Seven Indonesian men went on trial Monday for links to the Islamic State group, and could face the death penalty if found guilty of breaking anti-terror laws. Prosecutors said three of the accused – Ahmad Junaedi alias Abu Salman, Ridwan Sungkar alias Abu Bilal, and Helmi Muhamad Alamudi alias Abu Royan – allegedly went to Syria to join IS last year and received military training. One defendant, Tuah Febriwansyah alias Muhammad Fachry, was accused of running websites with pro-IS content. All the defendants were being tried separately. A lawyer for 6 argue the alleged crimes had taken place before Indonesia banned the group. Hundreds of Indonesians are feared to have traveled to the Middle East to join IS.

Read more on the 7 Indonesians.

Zimbabwe on Monday, October 12, abandoned its bid to press charges against a US dentist who killed Cecil the lion, saying his papers “were in order” and that he did not know he was committing any offense. Cecil was shot dead with a bow and arrow in July by US trophy hunter Walter Palmer in a hunt that provoked worldwide outrage. The hunt provoked a storm of criticism after it emerged that Cecil was a well-known attraction among visitors to the Hwange National Park and was wearing a tracking collar as part of an Oxford University research project.

Read more on the case vs Cecil the lion’s killer.

Nobel laureate chemist Richard Heck died in Manila on Saturday, October 10, following a bout of severe vomiting earlier in the week, Reuters reports. He was 84. Heck won the 2010 Nobel Prize in chemistry, along with Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki, for inventing new ways to bind carbon atoms. The results were used in a research for combating cancer and producing thin computer screens. According to the official Nobel Prize website, Heck’s prize motivation was “for palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis.” Despite earning a Nobel Prize in chemistry, illnesses left Heck surviving on a monthly pension of $2,500. In a report by GMA News, one of the nurses said Heck was rushed to a private hospital due to severe vomiting but was reportedly turned away due to unpaid bills. Forced to take Heck to a public hospital, the nurse said his vital signs deteriorated rapidly, until he died.

Read more on Nobel laureate Heck’s health woes.

The world’s oceans are teeming with life, but rising carbon dioxide emissions could cause a collapse in the marine food chain from the top down, researchers in Australia said Monday, October 12. Marine ecologists from the University of Adelaide reviewed more than 600 published studies on coral reefs, kelp forests, open oceans, and tropical and arctic waters. Their meta-analysis, published in the October 12 edition of the US peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that ocean acidification and warming will cut down on the diversity and numbers of various key species. Oysters, mussels and corals are also expected to take a hit from global warming, which will further harm the environment for reef fish. 

Read more on possible marine food chain collapse.